Dungeness crab season off most of California to end early

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Commercial Dungeness crab fishing off most of California’s coast will end early after two humpback whales were recently entangled in crab-fishing gear. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Friday that the fishing season must close April 8 from the Sonoma-Mendocino county line to the U.S.-Mexico border. The decision comes after one humpback was spotted on March 17 caught in commercial crab nets off Moss Beach, in San Mateo County. Two days later, a second whale was spotted trailing a set of crabbing lines in Monterey Bay. The ruling does not apply to the commercial crabbers in Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties or recreational Dungeness crab fishing. But wildlife officials said that could change when humpbacks return to forage during the spring and summer.